WWE’s John Cena Usage Becoming Clear, Shocking Charlotte Flair Win, More Friday Takes | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

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This week’s Friday Night Block Wrestling featured the final WWE and All Elite Wrestling shows of 2022, so both companies wanted to go out with a bang.

In AEW, Jade Cargill put the TBS Championship on the line against Kiera Hogan and Orange Cassidy defended the All-Atlantic Championship against Trent Beretta. Zwerve Strickland battled Wheeler Utah in the main event of Rampage.

On SmackDown, Charlotte Flair made a shocking return to WWE, winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Ronda Rousey following her first title defense against Raquel Rodriguez. Solo Sikova faced Sheamus in a clash of powerhouses.

Finally, John Cena teamed with Kevin Owens to face Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in what was Cena’s only match of 2022.

Let’s take a look at some of these moments from Friday’s SmackDown and Rampage.

Ever since Sikova came on the scene in WWE, you could tell this kid had something special.

Coming from the Anovai family has given him a foothold in the business, but he has proven that he offers more than just his name.

He’s been in better shape since his arrival on the main roster, and the way WWE has portrayed his character is great because it gives him a lot of room to grow.

His match with Sheamus on Friday’s SmackDown was an entertaining and tough affair, showing that he can hold his own against one of the company’s top powerhouses. If he keeps improving while putting in good performances, he will have a crown around his waist in no time.

One thing we haven’t seen much of from him is his ability to cut a promo. He’s been more vocal in NXT than he has been on SmackDown, but that’s the kind of thing WWE can work with when playing the strong, silent type.

Rodriguez got her shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship this week against Rousey, but despite a significant height advantage, she fell short.

Ever since she was called up from NXT, it felt like WWE didn’t know what to do with her. She’s bigger and stronger than most of the roster, but she’s never been portrayed as the same dominant force as Tuesdays.

While she is a decent babyface, she has more potential to win as a heel. The fact that she’s a huge powerhouse that bullies everyone else on the roster makes her pretty easy to hate.

The best place to make a breakthrough is during the Women’s Royal Rumble on January 28th. If she can eliminate all of the fan favorites, she’ll have an easy way to become a villain in 2023.

Her match against Rousey was one of the longest she’s ever seen, which shows how far she’s come since joining the company. She clearly has a lot of potential, but once she figures out how to define her character, she’ll be in a much better position for success.

Not only did Charlotte make her surprise return to WWE this week to face Rousey, but she also won the SmackDown Women’s Title in her first match.

The crowd was behind The Queen as she challenged and quickly defeated an already exhausted Rousey following her match against Rodriguez. It may not have been what we expected, but for some reason it was definitely the right call.

Many thought she wouldn’t return until the Royal Rumble, so her return at the final SmackDown in 2022 gave the show another memorable moment. And winning the title in an unannounced match will have people talking for days.

Charlotte has been gone for seven months, so ending the year and entering 2023 with the new champion is going to make for some interesting television.

Cena has officially wrestled a match every year for the past 20 years following this week’s match on SmackDown, but his appearances have been more and more limited in recent years.

After the success of , his star is also soaring in Hollywood Suicide Squad And peacemaker, So it’s understandable that he doesn’t want to put his body at risk like he used to.

This means that until Cena decides to hang up his sneakers for good, he will only be performing one or two matches a year, so WWE needs to be careful with who is booked for those few matches. .

Working with Owens, Zayn and Reigns this week was brilliant, but if he’s going to have a match at WrestleMania next year, he’ll need a suitably big opponent.

WWE could always go the celebrity route and pair him with someone like Logan Paul, but Cena’s rare appearance is better used to capitalize on that momentum and put someone else who goes there every week.

Bobby Lashley is someone who would benefit greatly from defeating The Leader of Cena, but only if Cena plans to be part of Mania. All this may be pointless speculation until he confirms for the event.

This week’s Rampage featured a main event match between Strickland and Yuta that further illustrated that Swerve being a heel was the right call.

The former WWE Superstar has been a beloved babyface for a few years now, but he’s no stranger to being the bad guy. In fact, Hit Row started out as a heel faction.

His mannerisms are excellent, especially in interviews. The pre-match video with Mark Henry allowed him to show that side of his personality quickly and effectively.

The biggest thing is that he is able to maintain his in-ring style while playing heel. Most people who use exciting moves will tone down those spots after turning heel, but Swerve is so good that he can do all that and still generate boos.

When he and Keith Lee have their big showdown at the end, it’s going to be epic.